Canadian Patrick (The Predator) Cote, left, and Australian Kyle Noke square off at a press conference in Quebec City on Monday, April 14, 2014. Cote and Noke were rival coaches on The Ultimate Fighter Nations reality TV show and will fight Wednesday night in the co-main event of a televised UFC card. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Neil Davidson

The Canadian Cote and Australian Noke were each introduced to the current generation of fight fans through UFC’s reality-TV show, The Ultimate Fighter (Cote in Season 4, Noke in Season 11). Years after competing on the show as fighters, the two returned this spring as coaches for TUF Nations: Canada versus Australia, all leading up to squaring off Wednesday in the season finale in Quebec City.

Here are five thoughts from Coke and Noke, leading up to their middleweight co-main event:

Life with the cameras rolling all day, every day takes some getting used to for competitors on The Ultimate Fighter ...

NOKE: “They’re always there. They’re always in your face. The best you can do is just try and forget about them … It’s hard to get used to them, though. It’s not very natural.”

COTE: “24-7 they’re all there, all the time. The first couple days, it’s weird. But after a week or two, you’re trying to forget that but you have to remember they’re still there. Not do some dumb things. And understand this show is world-wide … I told them, too, I’m not saying don’t have fun. But be smart about what you’re doing because you’re going to have to live with that … After a week or two, the camera crew’s part of the game.”

Some guys can get stir crazy when they’re locked up during filming of The Ultimate Fighter. During the six weeks of filming, the contestants do not have access to phones, TV, Internet or other outside communication and entertainment …

NOKE: “I remember (during Season 11 when I was a competitor) Brett Tavares wanting to sleep one night. Guys were up playing chess so he picked the chess board up, threw it off the balcony. I remember the guys starting food fights and playing baseball inside the house.”

COTE: “I’d been in the army for seven years, (with) six months in Bosnia, so to be six weeks in the house, training twice a day, eating steaks every night – I couldn’t complain. For me, that was the easiest part to be there.”

Getting recognized for a role on a reality-TV show takes some getting used to ...

NOKE: “I still kind of get shy when people mention that. “Hey, aren’t you the guy from the show?’ … I don’t care about the fame too much. I just want to fight. My goal was to help these guys advance in their career.”

COTE: “I didn’t go there for my personal fame. My goal was to help those guys as much as possible, to finally get a Canadian as the winner of The Ultimate Fighter. I went there, when I was there in Season 4, I went to the final but I came up short. That was my mission on the season.”

Unlike previous seasons, such as Ronda Rousey vs. Miesha Tate or Tito Ortiz vs. Ken Shamrock, Cote and Noke remained even-tempered on set, as coaches of Team Canada and Team Australia …

NOKE: “From my point of view, there’s no tension at all. We were friendly with each other. We were helpful with each other when we needed to be. We weren’t overly nice, trying to be friends with each other, but at the same time we were cordial to each other. We respected each other a lot.”

COTE: “My energy was not focusing on him. I was focusing on what I had to do and my guys. I can’t control what he’s doing. I’m controlling what I’m doing.”

That said, the lack of outward hostility won’t stop either from trying to lay a beating on the other during the live season finale on Wednesday …

NOKE: “We’re both professionals. We both know what we’re there for.”

COTE: “It’s the return to where everything started (Cote is a Quebec native). At the same time, the task is the same … I’m not focusing a lot on that – Quebec City, where everything started, my people. It’s just going to be a distraction. For me, I’m just focusing on the task to do: win the fight inside the cage.”

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